Sandra has had headaches her whole life. By the time she was a young adult, they'd become severe migraines that continued to get worse. About 10 years ago, they'd gotten so painful it became hard for her to function normally. She would have migraines more days than not and even went to the emergency room with a few that were unbearable. Sandra tried countless medications to stop or ease her migraines, but nothing worked.
Finally, her doctor referred her to a center that specialized in migraines. Sandra was prescribed a medication that actually worked. "It was a miracle drug," she said. She was finally able to live a normal life: "I didn't have to worry about needing to leave work early, or not being able to work, or having to cancel plans. I'd had to worry about that every day since I was a young adult. It was absolutely wonderful."
But after a few years, the drug was no longer available as a generic and her insurance company didn't cover the brand-name version. "It was going to cost hundreds of dollars per month for me to pay for the medicine. I couldn't afford it," Sandra said.
After knowing that a medication that cured her migraines existed, Sandra had to go back to suffering through them. She's developed coping mechanisms to lessen the pain as much as she can, but they can still be debilitating. Sandra wishes her insurance company would have covered the medication that made it possible for her to live without fear of her next migraine.
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